To support the need for reasonable and appropriate accommodations for psychological disorders, the student requesting services must provide documentation verifying the condition and describing its current functional impact. Documentation serves as a foundation that legitimizes a student's request for appropriate accommodations. The diagnostician must be an impartial individual who is not a family member of the student.

Along with a specific diagnosis, documentation should provide information regarding the onset, longevity, severity, and current impact of symptoms as well as specifics describing how it interferes with educational achievement. This may be accomplished through narrative description or individualized assessments of current cognitive processing and educational achievement.

 Please refer to the attached documentation checklist. It may be used as a guideline to develop a report that enables Cedar Crest College to deliver appropriate disability accommodation services.

I have also included for your information, a Cedar Crest College brochure "Services to Students with Disabilities".

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you,

Karen Schoenborn

Disabilities Specialist

Please submit a report on your letterhead which addresses each of the following items. You need not limit yourself to these items, but we need as much as possible from these areas:

 Date of evaluation and specific DSM- IV diagnosis and the instruments/procedures which were used to diagnose the psychological disorder.

1. Description of symptoms which meet the criteria for this diagnosis with approximate date of onset.
2. Description of major life activity(s)/learning abilities specific to the post-secondary environment that are impaired by the psychological disorder (e.g. difficulty with concentration, slow processing speed etc.)
3. Description of the level of impairment, and measures (formal or informal) used to assess impact on learning.
4. Recommendations regarding effective academic accommodations to equalize this student's educational opportunities at the post-secondary level (e.g. permission to tape record classes, assistance in note-taking, preferential seating, testing in distraction-free environment). If extended test time is suggested, please specify 1 ½ time, double time or other.
5. Prognosis for therapeutic interventions (Include likelihood for improvement or further deterioration and within what approximate time frame.) The College does not provide psychotherapy but does have counseling services.
6. In addition to the diagnostic report and educational assessment, please include any other information relevant to this student's academic needs.
7. Describe whether this person currently poses a threat to himself /herself or to others.
8. If not included in your letterhead, license # and state of licensure.